HISTORY TIP OF THE DAY

Not more than a hundred men await the British army on the common at Lexington. The redcoats order the colonists to disperse. Who fired the first shot—what will become known as “the shot heard round the world”—has never been determined. Both sides believe the shots had come from the opposing force. Within eight seconds, eight patriots are killed, another ten wounded. As the survivors flee, the British continue their march toward Concord. On their return to Lexington, the patriots attack, killing seventy-three British soldiers and wounding 250 more. It was an extraordinary victory for the colonists.